Reports a child being beaten were passed to emergency services in a 999 call (picture posed by model)

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The abuse of an 11-year-old boy and potential danger to his siblings was flagged up to social services when a 999 caller reported hearing a “child being beaten and crying”, a new report has revealed.

A number of failings have been identified in the handling of emotional and physical abuse of the 11-year-old over the course of a 12-month period in a Child Practice Review Report.

Released by the newly-created Western Bay Safeguarding Children Board (WBSCB), the review found that two years prior to the incident an anonymous referral resulted in an initial assessment being undertaken.

Teachers unaware of domestic abuse

Three months later there were two further calls to Children’s Services from members of the public over a five-day period expressing concern regarding the children.

The report noted:

:: Fears about the boy’s welfare were outlined to social services two years before he presented to a GP with slap-marks and bruising;

:: Police held and shared information about incidents over a number of years involving the child’s stepfather. Four of these were verbal domestic incidents with his previous partner and one relating to an alleged assault against a toddler (subsequently finalised as “no further action”), but partner agencies had no record of them being received; and

:: Staff at the boy’s school were “not aware” of domestic abuse within the family.

WBSCB, which oversees Social Services at Swansea, Neath Port Talbot and Bridgend Councils, said in the report: “A member of the public contacted the police via a 999 call saying they 'could hear a child being beaten and crying'.

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“On attendance the police found an 11-year-old child with marks to the face. Child protection procedures were immediately invoked and a child protection medical that day found the child to have numerous injuries, including a characteristic slap mark to the left side of the face and bruising on parts of the body which strongly indicated physical abuse.

“The examining doctor concluded the child’s attitude and demeanour during the medical assessment suggested the child was well used to being emotionally and probably physically abused.”

It added: “Education professionals in the school the child attended were not aware of the domestic abuse experienced in the family.”

Room for improvement

The report has outlined a number of areas for improvement, including the need for better communication between police, social services and other agencies.

It also stressed that community referrals should be taken seriously by all agencies and the value of the information they give should form part of any assessment.

A number of effective practices were also noted, including the tenacity of a social worker in securing a suitable foster care placement.

It said the police officer attending the home used “great skill in gaining the consent of the child to a medical examination which resulted in a detailed description of the abuse the child had suffered”.